Chapter 30
Sylvie had pointed out again how much his people would protest her presence during any investigation, so they'd worked out a plan. He would keep her bound while walking through the halls or in the presence of other Zantharians. It would put forth the appearance that she was a prisoner, and therefore, no longer a threat.
Sylvie hadn't loved the suggestion at first, so they'd toyed with the idea of putting her under a cloak like his. Unfortunately, she was so much smaller than the other aliens that the cloak would be worthless in hiding her appearance.
"Just because I'm not seven foot tall and slender as a reed," she muttered as he pulled her arms behind her back and attached the bindings, then slid the collar around her neck.
"Be glad I'm even agreeing to allow you on your ship," he replied, his voice like steel.
Anger again, she thought.No wonder their skin color doesn't shift during the mating frenzy. Otherwise Zantharian males would be walking kaleidoscopes. They'd make everyone else sick with their constant color changes.
Sylvie was silent as the cloaked regent led her back to the Ministry of Science. She ignored the mob and its calls for her death and dismemberment. She fought the feeling of her gorge rising as they once again returned to the place where she'd nearly been eviscerated. She steeled herself against the reception she knew she was in for.
She focused on the hope of getting Magnis back online and being able to fly herself out of the situation, but she knew that wouldn’t happen. Not if it meant leaving X to his death.
The mating frenzy was something totally unexpected. Interspecies mating on Earth was complex and rare. She'd never considered the possibility of offspring from copulation with the Zantharian.
Copulation?She laughed at herself.You weren't able to use such a big vocabulary during the act itself. I don't know if you could have formed any coherent words at the time.
Her blood ran hot at the remembrance of their sex again, the strong pull of his hands and expert touch of his tongue. A groan escaped her and he glanced around, his glare a warning to keep it down. The strange ache between her thighs left her wanting more of him, his size and texture something she would never be able to mimic on Earth. The jolts of electricity had been something to fear at first and covet once they were possibly forever lost.
The ache between her thighs wasn’t the one catching her attention and rearranging her life. The one deep inside of her chest was doing that.
They made their way through the corridors in the Ministry of Science, which were blessedly silent except for the occasional whispers of those working there to one another as they passed.
"You know," she said, attempting to act nonchalant since he'd been so jumpy and she didn't want to upset him, "since we're here, maybe we should consider doing a little research on your condition."
His mouth opened in a half snarl, but he snapped it shut, presumably before bitching her out in front of the entire ministry. His moods were incredibly sensitive. She’d have to be a little more careful with her choice of words.
"Hear me out," she said, her voice low enough that she hoped it didn't carry. "I'm a trained astrobiologist. With a little bit of time, and with these fine facilities, we might be able to find a cure before you--"
"Enough," he growled, all but pushing her through the large door in front of them. "Drop it. We have more important things to worry about."
"But if you aren't here to help your people, who else--"
"I said, that’s enough. I’ll figure this shit out on my own when time allows me to. If it doesn’t… I wasn’t meant to rule any longer."
His shout froze the workers who were outside the ship and sent a jolt of sadness through Sylvie.
"Report," he said, his voice a whip-crack in the echoing chamber. "What happened in the attack against the ship?"
Sylvie's breath caught as she took in her little spaceship. It had a few dings and tons of scratches, but it didn't look as if the hull was ripped open.It can be fixed.
A maroon scientist scurried forward. Even if he wasn't sure who was underneath the cloak, he knew it had to be someone with enough clout to be dragging the Earthling around like a dog on a leash.
"Someone attempted to set off a frag-bomb next to the ship. Our sensors discovered it before it could go off. It was a rather sloppy attempt at destroying the ship, really."
X's brow furrowed. Sylvie wondered what he was thinking.
He didn't share his thoughts, however, but continued asking questions. "What have you discovered about the Earthling's ship and the malfunction in our defense shield?"
The scientist nodded nervously. "We have determined that there is nothing in the ship's workings that could have disabled the shield. However, we still can't get the computer to cooperate, so we could be missing something."
"Let me take a crack at it," Sylvie said quietly, looking up at the hooded figure and hoping her voice didn't carry to those working on the ship. She didn't like being unable to see his expression.
"I’ll perform my own inspection. Keep back. All of you." He ducked through the ship's hatch and pulled her with him, his tugging a little harder than was necessary.
Sylvie had to repress her excitement at seeing the insides of her ship again. The little blinking green light display that represented Magnis's main console had power from what she could tell.
